pendleton. >> your angel has become the face, and the tragic reality of this epidemic of gun violence. >> reporter: first lady michelle obama was there to comfort a community still in shock, and a mother in the grips of grief. >> no mother, no father, should ever have to experience this. >> reporter: pendleton, a majorette -- >> i'm hadiya -- >> reporter: -- performed in events surrounding the president's inauguration and was shot to death just a few days later. and while there were remembrances today -- >> on that day, the last thing i saw before they put her in the ambulance was her smiling, and from heaven above, i know that each day she's smiling down on all of us. >> reporter: -- there were also demands for action. >> we can put a man on the moon but we can't come together to figure this situation out. >> reporter: the funeral comes on the eve of the president's state of the union address when he plans to reiterate his push for stiffer gun laws, which includes universal background checks, a ban on assault weapons, and limits on high-capacity magazines. but this week, mr. obama ac